“Schrobenhausener Tage” 2024: New horizons in specialist foundation engineering

Schrobenhausen, Germany – A long-established tradition continues: For more than 35 years, BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH has been hosting the “Schrobenhausener Tage" lecture series. In April it was time again. This year’s motto: Focus Construction Site – stay tuned to Geotechnical Solutions. A total of roughly 300 guests attended from Germany and abroad, including participants from Japan who didn’t want to miss the event. They were all treated to a successful blend of fascinating presentations about spectacular construction projects in Germany, challenging international projects and the latest innovations in specialist foundation engineering. But that was far from all: another topic on the agenda was artificial intelligence. 

Frank Haehnig, CEO of BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH, welcomed the guests and then handed over to Florian Bauer, Managing Director of BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH and moderator of the event. “You will see that the latest developments in specialist foundation engineering are very exciting. It’s not just our innovations and methods, but also the use of artificial intelligence that opens up countless opportunities and prospects for our sites,” remarked Florian Bauer. 

From Germany...

The event kicked off with a lecture block addressing spectacular projects in Germany. Karsten Kegelbein, Site Manager for BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH in Hamburg, started off the series and presented a construction project in Helgoland. Surrounded by one-of-a-kind scenery there, Bauer implemented four different injection methods – far from a typical endeavor. In the next lecture, Susanne Nefzger, Head of Sales Bavaria for the South region, and Daniel Junger, Site Manager for BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH, presented a project for flood protection in the Bavarian town of Feldolling. A spectacular project with (almost) everything that specialist foundation engineering has to offer. Excavation pit monitoring during the CEFAM project in Cologne was addressed by Agnes Demharter, Site Manager at BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH, and Project Manager Andreas Hertenberger from the domestic business division. The morning’s lecture series was rounded off with an interesting guest presentation on “Monitoring of Geotechnic Works – the basis for sustainable and intelligent Geotechnics” by Prof. Dr. Christian Moormann from the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering at Stuttgart University.

During the lunch break, participants were able as usual to explore the innovations in specialist foundation engineering through an exhibition at the stands for the Technical Services, Design and Digitalization departments. Furthermore, in the exhibition area for the in-house exhibition of BAUER Maschinen GmbH starting several days later, an impressive array of equipment was presented along with ample opportunity to engage in dialog directly with experts in the field.

...to the entire world

Refreshed from their lunch break, the guests returned for the second thematic section of the event. This was entirely dedicated to international challenges. The first report was given by Shekhar Battacharjee, Senior Manager Business Development at BAUER Engineering India Private Limited, who discussed a subway project in the Indian metropolis of Chennai. Onur Askin, Technical Engineer at BAUER Spezialtiefbau GmbH, followed by presenting an impressive offshore project off the French Atlantic coast near Saint-Brieuc, as part of which Bauer installed 190 offshore piles for 62 wind turbine sites. Finally, Keith Ryan, Managing Director of BAUER International UAE, addressed the particular challenges involved in a construction project in Dubai for which the barrette foundations were implemented through an existing three-story basement level. 

Digitalization and AI

The third and last thematic section of the event took a look at the future and digital challenges. Michael Jones, Managing Director of International Business Development at BAUER Technologies Limited, and Joachim Gaus, soil mixing expert in the Major Project Sales department, discussed the complex soil improvement measures that were carried out under water in 2023 working from a pontoon in Sweden. Marcus Daubner, Head of Digitalization, addressed the digital twin and presented specific practical examples. Richard Gutjahr, freelance journalist, moderator and blogger, concluded with interesting insights about the topic “Artificial intelligence – Hype or Change”. 

This was followed by a final panel session with Christian Moormann, Richard Gutjahr, Marcus Daubner and Frank Haehnig in which the opportunities and prospects for artificial intelligence in specialist foundation engineering were thoroughly discussed. “We have a passion for progress and we are open to new ideas,” emphasized Florian Bauer. “In specialist foundation engineering, great opportunities await us through the use of AI, which we are tackling together.”

As usual, the traditional event concluded with lively discussions during a relaxed Bavarian dinner with regional specialties and authentic local music.